ARE YOU MADE FOR LOW CARB NUTRITION ?

[candidizzle]

TAKEN FROM T-NATION.. WRITTEN BY CHARLES POLIQUIN
http://www.t-nation.com/article/bodybuilding/question_of_strength_december_06&cr=



Are You Made for Low-Carb Nutrition?

Q: You've written that you use low-carb diets for 75% of your athletes, but said that it's not right for every genotype. So, how does the average guy tell if he's "right" for low carbs?

A: We use the subscapular skinfold as a genetic indicator. If you have a very low skinfold in the upper back naturally, you'll be more likely to be able to handle a lot of carbs in your diet.

 

But if you're a lean guy and your subscap is 15mm, then you're not "gifted" for carbs; you should stay away from them. If you get very lean and your subscap measurement doesn't go down that much, then you're not gifted for carbs.

Your suprailiac skinfold measurement is what I call your environmental carbs. In other words, the more you eat the more it goes up. so even if you're gifted for carbs, if you eat too many of them, then that site will go up.

 

But the most simple field test for carb tolerance is eating carbs for breakfast. You wake and you rate yourself on a scale from one to ten for energy, ten meaning very good, one meaning you feel like shit. Then have a high carb breakfast, say pancakes and maple syrup. An hour later, if you feel sleepy and want a nap, then carbs aren't for you. If you feel more energetic and ready to climb walls, then carbs are for you, you lucky bastard.

One thing people have to distinguish between is neo-carbs vs. paleo-carbs. With paleo carbs the simple rule is: Were they available to a caveman? Would he have access to grapes and raspberries? Yes. Bagels and pasta? No.

So when I talk about people adapting to carbs, I'm talking about neo-carbs. If they've adapted to pasta then they can eat it and feel great. They can eat any source of carbs. I've trained a lot with Milos Sarcev. That guy can eat French bread for breakfast and feel great. If I were to eat like him I might as well go on welfare and sleep all day. I can't do it.

 

Milos Sarcev

For more information on the significance of the different skinfolds, you can attend one of the Biosignature seminars listed on my website.

Usually, people who are gifted for hypertrophy are gifted for carb intake as well. They can eat a boatload of carbs and feel fine. Also, if you're white, fuck it. You've got to come from a region where there was a lot of agriculture for a long time to be able to handle carbs. If you're from German or Norwegian extraction and come from a line of meat eaters and hunters, then neo-carbs are not for you.

I can keep a body fat of 5-6% year around if I eat only paleo-carbs. Other guys, like Berardi, can suck up two kilos of pasta for breakfast and it won't bother them. You'll find though, that nutritionists tend to recommend what works for them, not what works for everybody. That's why I prefer to individualize diets.

Keith Klein and others used to recommend rice cakes as a carb source. If I ate rice cakes I'd fall asleep at the wheel! It doesn't work for me. I even hear people recommending Pop Tarts too, a classic example of neo-carbs.

Basically, our genes have only evolved .02% over the last 40,000 years. So we're mostly made for paleo-carbs. But 25% of the world population has actually adapted to agricultural-type carbohydrates. But I'd still recommend that those people stick to paleo-carbs over Pop Tarts, Cocoa Puffs, and all that shit. They need to look at nutrient density. It's not just about glycemic index or insulin load index, it's about the PI — phytonutrient index. How rich is that food in nutrients?

So, for example, blueberries. Blueberries are very thin skinned, and any thin skinned fruit is going to be richer in antioxidants because it has to protect itself against the sun. That's why blueberries have far more antioxidants than bananas. So when I reintroduce carbs into the diet, one of the first things I reintroduce is berries.

 

Basically, the darker and richer the color of the food, the healthier it is. Compare blueberries to rice. But then I'd rather have a guy carb up on rice than Pop Tarts.

The Natural Academy of Science medical board has established that the safe level of trans-fats for humans is zero, so why recommend a pastry that's full of trans-fats as a carb? It'll create lesions on your arteries, make your brain age faster, and double your risk of cancer! Why would anyone recommend Pop Tarts?

[candidizzle]

GET LEAN, THEN EAT CARBS
http://www.t-nation.com/article/most_recent/get_lean_then_eat_carbs_071006&cr=

People are kidding themselves about how many carbs they need. There's a difference between a mouth and a vacuum. Forty to fifty grams per day of good carbs is plenty for most of the population. That's why there are so many fat dieticians and personal trainers. Nutrient timing makes a difference, too. A lean 200-pound man can keep his leanness eating 250 grams of carbs a day, if 200 of them are taken post-workout and the other 50 grams spread throughout the day in low glycemic carbs. Remember, I said "stay lean," not get lean. Get lean first if you want to eat carbs. The leaner you are, the more carbs you can eat

[candidizzle]

Reduce Carbs, Go Green
http://www.t-nation.com/article/most_recent/reduce_carbs_go_green_101105&cr=

Approximately 75% of the American population simply doesn't do well with carbs. As such, try to eat carbohydrate foods that score below 50 on the glycemic index. The obvious exception to this is post-workout, when it's recommended that you do eat high GI carbs, along with protein. Another fat loss tip? Simply eat more vegetables — lots more vegetables. That simple trick alone will help you burn fat.

[Quickerblade]

not for me!! i tried, if i really wanted to i could but it goes against what my body wants.

[benz]

candi, do you feel you are gifted?

[Quickerblade]

candi, do you feel you are gifted?

i think he is, his a well informed young man, his like 19..keep it up bro

[candidizzle]

thanks quickerblade.

i can handle certain carbs just fine, but other carbs i definitely have to watch out for.


benz- no im not gifted

[JasonH]

I'm not made for sugary carbs like sweets and chocolate - makes me full and fat very easily.

[Necrosis]

low carb eating is the healthiest option imo, ketogenic diets are great for the body

[ngm21084]

low carb eating is the healthiest option imo, ketogenic diets are great for the body

i agree, although i hate going on a 0 carb diet the low carbs doenst bother me at all..

[benz]

thanks quickerblade.

i can handle certain carbs just fine, but other carbs i definitely have to watch out for.


benz- no im not gifted

Do you think you can keep a highly accurated nutrition talking with someone who wasted his time at uni?

[candidizzle]

Do you think you can keep a highly accurated nutrition talking with someone who wasted his time at uni?

what do you mean ... are you asking me do i think i can have an intelligent conversation wityh some one with a degree in nutrition ?


well...short answer....= absolutely not



but i will say there are alot of so called "nutritionists" out there that are laughable at best

[loco]

low carb eating is the healthiest option imo, ketogenic diets are great for the body

Hey smoke!  I'd like to know why low carb is the healthiest in your opinion, and why they are great for the body.  Thanks!

[Necrosis]

Hey smoke!  I'd like to know why low carb is the healthiest in your opinion, and why they are great for the body.  Thanks!

sure . One of the reasons is from the traditional evolutionary argument that we evolved eating paleo type carbs, foods high in protein ie meat, nuts and berries, rice and the like came with agriculture and i dont beleive we have adapted properly. that in itself is not a good argument like polquin is suggesting as its not objective evidence,  but there is a ton of evidence. One is our anatomy, our digestive tract consisting of the oesophogus, stomach, small intestine(duodenum, jejunem, ileum, and colon) is very long which is indicative of species with predominant meat eating diets. These foods are hard to digest and take a long time to break apart hence the thermogenic effect of protein, and our enzymatic stores have most proteolytic (protein breaking) enzymes, along with comprehensive fat digestion and some carbohydrate sources.

also there is a ton of research showing the superiority of low carb eating, look here

 http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/lowcarb/low-carb-research.html

i will expand on that research is requested but another reason is an increase in catecholamine tone, namely noepinephrine and dopamine which have energy producing, anti depressive, thermogenic, immune boosting, brain protecting etc effects. Look at the most effective anti depressants=amphetamines which increase dopamine and noepinephrine, not shitty SSRIS(which have there place). Low carb also have anti inflammatory effects as evidenced by research and the more we discover the more it seems EVERY disease is a form of inflammation.



However, it is not for everyone as people with low serotonin ie OCD, and some anxiety conditions will have big trouble as there is a drop in free serotonin.

Its also easy to loose weight on this thus combatting the obesity epidemic, I dont see any good reason to add rice, processed sugar, grains, wheat (look at the gluten issue ALOT of people are starting to have). Carbs should be fruits in the morning for most purposes and veggies with every meal.

[mitchyboy]

I flatten out reall fast on low to 0 carbs, not a vien in site, should I still use this aproch? I am losing fat and keeping my strength pretty well, but i somtimes wonder. Cant help reading articals in Flex and the like telling me 150 -200 grams of carbs is low, messes with your head

[mitchyboy]

By the way Canndi, you seem to be one of the few bastards on here who actually give a damn, so thanks for the info and keep it coming

[Alex23]

low carb eating is the healthiest option imo, ketogenic diets are great for the body

Agree. Insulin activates binding proteins who have a tendency to up-regulate an aging gene (can't remember which)..

so limiting carbs, at least the simple ones, totally makes sense on the long run.


I've met Charles before and his caveman diet isn't just a conincidental fluke but has the strongest foundation.

[candidizzle]

I flatten out reall fast on low to 0 carbs, not a vien in site, should I still use this aproch? I am losing fat and keeping my strength pretty well, but i somtimes wonder. Cant help reading articals in Flex and the like telling me 150 -200 grams of carbs is low, messes with your head

you cant do something that doesnt work well for you jest because some supposed "expert" says that its the best way.     so if your body hates low carb, dont do it!

BUT many many many people complain abut getting flat and losing size on low carb/no carb diets.   and in most of these cases, it turns out that the reason was because they werent consuming enough healthy unsaturated oils. and not enough omega-3's.         if you tried low arb without the healthy fats and with using saturated fats (like how the atkins diet is portrayed).. then that would definitely be the reason why you got flat!

(and dont orget that glycogen depletion WILL make you look a little less full regardless of whther or not low carb is right for you. )

[mitchyboy]

Cool, I have a huge bottle of fish oils serving size to caps, for like 3000 mg. Should I take those with every meal (IE every three hours or so) or just twice a day like the bottle says? Thanks

[Painlayer69]

How many omega 3's should be taken in daily?

[candidizzle]

my personall recommendation on fish oil is  MORE=BETTER... but i would avoid them post workout.

if you can afford it, getting your entire daily fat intake from fish oil would be like...amazing !!  lol..   but seriously that would be HUGE whether or not your cutting or bulking it doesnt matter they work both ways

[Painlayer69]

What about omega 3's from flaxseed gel caps? Thats the way ive been getting omega 3

[benz]

my personall recommendation on fish oil is  MORE=BETTER... but i would avoid them post workout.

if you can afford it, getting your entire daily fat intake from fish oil would be like...amazing !!  lol..   but seriously that would be HUGE whether or not your cutting or bulking it doesnt matter they work both ways

teh more isnt the better when it comes about fish oil, please google up some studies

[candidizzle]

teh more isnt the better when it comes about fish oil, please google up some studies

are you talking about body composition or overall health ?

[benz]

are you talking about body composition or overall health ?

i cant be your teacher candidildo, but i can give you a brother, just give me your mom's address and will do it in a few mins